Crossing the Line
by alwaysBEElovely
Summary: There’s a line in every situation that sometimes cannot be crossed, for there are consequences to those who cross the line. Who will cross the line that separates good from bad, nice guys from bad guys, or lovers from friends? Read and find out! FIRST FIC
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **There's a line in every situation that sometimes cannot be crossed, for there are consequences to those who cross the line. Who will cross the line that separates good from bad, nice guys from bad guys, or lovers from friends? Read and find out! First fic so READ PLEASE!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Rugrats or any of the characters from the show, obviously. I wouldn't be writing for this if I did, as a matter of fact…**

**Chapter 1: The First Day**

Tommy's POV

"I can't believe that we're back at school already!" Chuckie exclaimed excitedly. "Summer felt like it was going to last forever! I've been ready to get back to school so I can hit the books again. I heard that we were doing a project the first day we get back from school."

"Wow. How exciting." I mumbled to my best friend, Charles (aka Chuckie) Finster. We'd been the best of friends since we were rugrats. And our friendship is still lasting. "I don't understand how you can be so excited about school."

"Because it's the one thing that I'm incredible at. You have your filming. I have my books." He explained, walking up the steps of the high school. "Speaking of your filming, have you made any other documentaries?"

"Not any yet, no." I answered, a frown on my face. "I've been thinking about other things lately. I have this…" Before I could finish my sentence, the girl I had been crushing on all summer turned the corner and started coming down the hallway… towards me.

"Tommy? Tommy?" I could hear Chuckie's distant calls to get my attention, but I was completely lost. A silly smile appeared on my face as I thought of her. I never imagined having a crush on my childhood friend. I mean, I had grown up with her, and to think that I would develop feelings for her? It seemed unimaginable. But I had.

And I had fallen hard.

"Hi Tommy! Hi Chuckie! How was your summer?" The girl asked when she had come face to face with us.

"Summer… summer…" I mumbled to myself but then shook out of it and stammered, "O—oh. Summer! It was great! It was incredible! I just… you know, missed you. It was too bad you were at camp all summer."

"Being a counselor paid good money. And I need some extra money in my pocket." She smiled and turned to Chuckie, asking him the same question, which gave me time to observe the girl. She was so beautiful. Her dark hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail at the nape of her neck, a light touch of makeup accentuating her already beautiful complexion. Her clothes were especially nice for the first day of school. She wore a skirt that showed off her great legs and an off-the-shoulder tee that showed her perfect shoulders.

She was the epitome of a beautiful goddess.

"Tommy!" She screamed into my ear.

I jumped about a foot in the air. "What? Huh?"

"I asked if your sophomore year feels different than your freshman year so far." She spoke, slower than last time.

"Oh, yeah, definitely. Totally different. Since we're… you know, more experienced, we know the routes and stuff like that… and yeah." I explained, nodding my head slowly.

She smiled. "That's nice. Well, I'll see you guys later. I have to catch my first class. I'll see if I can check in with you at lunch." Then she turned and jetted down the hallway… only to link arms with another guy and kiss him on the cheek.

Just like a couple would do.

"She's with Derek?" I exclaimed loudly.

Chuckie turned to me, a duh look on his face. "Yeah, they started dating at the end of last year. You didn't know?"

I pouted. "No, I didn't know."

"Why do you care? You're the one who told her last year that she should get a boyfriend. _You're_ the one who told her that she shouldn't spend her last two years in high school without a guy friend to hang with. She took your advice and hooked up with Derek. They've been dating all through the summer. He was even a counselor at the camp with her. They've spent the entire summer together being a couple, like you wanted for her." He explained to me. But then his eyes widened and he looked like a fish in water. "Tommy, you're not… not… _jealous_, are you?"

I rolled my eyes, avoiding all possible eye contact with the boy. "Jealous? Why would I be jealous of her? We're just friends."

"Friends, right." He said. "But I think that you want to be more than that with her."

"Be more than friends with _her_. Come on, Chuckie. You know me better than that."

"And you know that I know you well enough to know that you're lying to me about what I know because I know that you like her, Tommy." He told me, a smile appearing slowly on his face. "Thomas Pickles has a crush on Susie Carmichael."

After I admitted that I had a crush on Susie to Chuckie, he teased me for a little while and then comforted me about her having a boyfriend. I learned that I had to deal with it. But I knew that the school project that we were having in biology would help me get my mind off of Susie. Especially since Kimi was my partner, and Kimi made everything interesting.

"So what should we do our project on?" I asked the girl, my tone not as excited as it usually would be when Kimi and I were hanging together.

"Forget about the project for now." She said, pushing a stray strand of black hair from her darkly outlined eyes. Kimi had become the embodiment of a Punk Princess. She was known all over the school for being a "bad girl" and I knew a lot of guys who were totally afraid of her—and some totally into her.

But they didn't know her like I did. They didn't know that she was one of the nicest girls they could ever meet. And they didn't know that she was as cool as ice on a hot summer day.

"Tell me what's wrong with you, Tommy."

I looked up at her, wondering if I could tell her that I had a crush on Susie… but I decided against it. Susie and Kimi were best friends, and though I could trust Kimi with my life, I didn't feel that I could tell her that I was crushing on her best friend.

So instead I said, "Oh, it's nothing big. Don't worry about it."

"Come on, Tommy. You can talk to me about anything. Tell me what's wrong with you." She said, crossing one of her legs—a black and white stocking with a couple of holes in it covered her legs—over the other.

"It's just… okay, I really can't tell you who the girl is, but I can say this: I like this girl _a lot_, but I found out that she has a boyfriend. And I'm just upset that she's with another guy." I explained to her.

"Oh… why can't you tell me who you like?" She asked, a frown etching her usually bright face. See how great a friend she is? Her mood went down just knowing that a good friend of hers mood was down.

"It's confidential. I just don't want to let everyone know yet."

"Does Chuckie know?"

"Well, of course Chuckie knows. He's my best friend. Actually, I didn't exactly _tell_ him. He figured it out and… to make a long story short, he knows. And he promised not to tell _anyone_."

"Oh, well I understand. Hey, it'll be okay. If she doesn't realize that a great guy like you would make her high school years awesome, then she doesn't deserve you. I'm sure there are other girls out there who would rather hang with you."

"I guess." I grumbled, then put on a fake and cheesy smile. "So what's the project going to be on?"

Kimi's POV

The only thought running through my head was, _He likes another girl. He'll never like me the way that I like him. It'll never happen_. After dating a hand full of bad guys, I was starting to look at nicer yet manly guys who could handle their business without it resulting in being put on probation. For the past year, I had started to look more and more at Tommy Pickles. He was everything that I wanted in a guy. Nice, cool, creative, smart, and, best of all, funny. Everything about him was amazing.

It's too bad that he didn't like me that way. It was too bad that he saw me as more of a _good friend_ than a possible _girlfriend_. Actually, it was too bad that _everyone_ saw me as his good friend opposed to his girlfriend. I mean, no one would _ever_ picture me dating Tommy, a good boy. They all think that I'm about the bad boys.

Which was the _former me_.

Besides, Tommy tended to like girls who were like the girl-next-door.

Girls like… Lil?

Was that the girl that he liked? I mean, she is dating Chuckie! And if he liked her, he definitely couldn't tell me. Chuckie's my _brother_. I can't believe that he liked Lil, though… actually, in a way, I could. I mean, Lil is definitely the girl-next-door. I mean, she's cute with casual style and her spunky attitude. I was somewhat the exact opposite. I mean, I had my own style and instead of a spunky attitude, I just had an _attitude_. If you got on my nerves, I had no problem telling you that.

But once you got to know me, I sort of had a spunky attitude…

Too bad Tommy wanted a girl with a flat-out spunky attitude.

And that girl was Lil.

Chuckie's POV

When lunch came around, I wasn't all that excited about seeing Lil. I mean, sure we had been dating since the middle of our ninth grade year, but something had changed. I wasn't seeing her as the supreme woman in my life anymore. She didn't have that… _thing_ that I needed anymore. That _thing_, whatever it may be, was within someone else. And I had to find a way to break it off with her before it was too late.

"Hey guys." I said to Phil, Lil, Kimi, and Tommy. Everyone was there except for me, I realized. "What's up?"

Lil leaned over and kissed me softly on the cheek. "Just missing you, that's it." She answered, a smile coming onto her cute face. How could I stop liking such a sweet girl? Sure, she was outspoken at times, but when you didn't piss her off, she was one of the nicest people anyone could ever meet. Wasn't that what I wanted?

I sat down and smiled awkwardly. "Oh… me too."

"I know." She giggled. "So what're we doing after school? Do you want to come over to my house so we can do some homework together?"

"Um… not today. I'm busy after school."

"Busy? What're you doing?"

"Uh, I'm working at the shop. My dad needs some extra help so he asked me."

"Well, I can help out too! Then we can still be together." She exclaimed.

"No, that's okay. I don't want to stop you from doing your work and whatnot. So why don't we meet up after my shift? That'll be easier for the both of us. I… I won't be distracted by your presence when I'm working and you can get your homework done."

She grinned. "Oh my gosh! You're so sweet, Charles! Thanks!" She leaned over again and kissed me square on the mouth. I responded to it immediately. I mean, even if I was feeling uneasy about the girl, it was still a _kiss_. And I love kisses.

When she pulled away, I heard a very familiar voice say, "Well if it isn't The Finster's. Don't you all look so dorky together! It's really amazing, I swear."

"Hi Angelica." Lil said with a roll of her eyes.

I turned my gaze from Lil to the said girl, my eyes immediately widening. When had she gotten so… so… so hot? I knew that she was pretty. She's always been a pretty princess. But, something about her had changed.

When she smiled, her cruelty seemed to seep away. Her big, blue eyes were brighter, her rosy lips more appealing, her long, blond hair shinier than ever, her entire body sexier… everything about her…

"Uh… Angelica…" I let out slowly.

"What Finster?" She snapped, the scowl reappearing on her face.

Too bad that things always went back to normal. There was definitely no chance of Angelica Pickles looking at me any day. And that's because she was popular and I was a dork.

"What'd you come over here for anyway, Angelica?" Kimi asked, dipping one of her fries into her ketchup.

"I came over here to tell Tommy that you have to come over to my house at 7:00 so you can film some party for the parents. I didn't want you to forget. If you do, then that's fifty dollars out of my allowance." She blew a kiss nowhere in general and flashed a smile. "Ta-ta." Then she walked over to her friends, where the "popular" kids sat.

And I just looked on with a longing glance.

Susie's POV

"Derek! Quit!" I giggled out loud as he gently feathered my bare shoulder with light kisses. "It tickles! Please, stop!"

He laughed and looked at me from over my shoulder. "That tickled?"

"Yeah, that tickled."

"I know something that would feel ten times better than that."

I laughed again just as the door to the Juice Shack opened. I turned my head in that direction to see Tommy, Lil, Phil, and Kimi walking in. "There are my friends. Do you mind if I bring them over?"

"As long as we can still spend some time alone later."

"Of course." I said, then waved them over to sit down.

"Hey Susie!" Lil exclaimed, taking a seat beside me.

"Hey guys. I'd like to formally introduce you guys to my boyfriend, Derek. Derek, these are the guys that I grew up with. I told you about them. I defended them from Angelica. She was a bitch to them." She explained.

"Which one is which?" Derek asked. That's something that I loved about him. He was interested in everything in my life. It was incredible the kind of relationship that we had.

"Well, the twins are Phil and Lil. They were the really… messy ones when they were kids. Chuckie's the redhead behind the counter. He was the kid that was afraid of _everything_. Kimi is Chuckie's sister. She's always been the unique one in the group. And then there's Tommy. He's the brave one—totally fearless. Whenever we went on some kind of baby adventure or something, he'd be the leader."

"Right, I've heard of you, Tommy. You're the one who filmed that awesome documentary last year. It was incredible!" Derek exclaimed. "Dude, you're going to have to show me some of your other movies."

"Sure, maybe." Tommy mumbled, looking out of the door, a huge frown on his face.

"Tommy, what's wrong with you?" I asked. "You've been down all day. You never look like that."

"Nothing. I'm just… a little nervous about this, um, thing I have to do for my uncle. He's having a party or something, and they want me to film it. I'm unsure if it's going to be formal or casual or whatever."

"Hey, don't sweat. You'll figure it out. You always come through." I told him encouragingly. I glanced over at my really great friend, Kimi. "Uh, Kimi, why don't you go with him tonight? Give him some assistance?" I knew that my friend had a huge crush on him. When she told me the first time, it was no surprise for me. She's had feelings for him since the 7th grade. She just didn't understand them.

"Um, sure… if that's cool with you, Tommy."

"Yeah. Okay with me." He responded before he abruptly stood up. "I'm going to get a smoothie and then go home and set up. It was nice meeting you, Derek."

"You too Tommy. I'll catch you later."

"Alright. Bye."

When he was gone, I looked at Kimi and asked, "So do you know what's really wrong with him?"

"It's not a big deal, but yeah. He's having girl troubles." She explained.

"Why would he be having girl problems? Tommy's really, really cute."

"Yeah, I know a couple of girls who say that if he was a little older, they'd go for him." Derek put in.

I saw an unsure look cross over Kimi's face. A look that I knew so very well. Whenever other girls and Tommy came up, she became hesitant of her feelings for him. That's part of the reason why I said, "Kimi, you should be leaving too if you're helping Tommy with his filming."

"True, very true. I'll see you guys later." She stood from her seat and took a seat beside Tommy on the stools. And I smiled because I knew that eventually, Kimi would experience the same happiness with Tommy that I had with Derek.

Kimi's POV

When we got to the dinner party, I was feeling a bit uncomfortable. I mean, everyone inside was dressed up extremely formally, and there Tommy and I were, wearing our normal school clothes. I felt that someone should've warned us that this party was probably going to require a certain type of attire.

But when I told Tommy of my worries, he gave me that reassuring smile that told me that I had nothing to worry about… which made me like him all the more.

"So what're we recording?" Tommy asked Mr. Pickles after we set up the camera equipment. It was the perfect view of the dinner table. I was thinking that maybe this was a board meeting or something.

"Oh, we're recording Cynthia's meeting. An important deal is being made, and we need proof that everyone sticks to what they say originally." He explained. "You don't really have to be here, actually. It's just that we need your camera, and Angelica requested you to be here in person."

"Is that so? Why would she request me?" Tommy asked.

Mr. Pickles shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe in case we had technical difficulties. It was a last minute thing, though. She called Cyn during her lunch hour today and asked that you come."

"Hm… So we can just go upstairs and chill with Angelica?" I asked.

"Yeah, be my guest. Just don't make too much noise."

"Sure thing Uncle Drew." Tommy said and then led me up the stairs. When we got to Angelica's door, he knocked and said, "Can we come in?"

"Yeah, come on in." Angelica called. We opened the door and walked into her elaborate, princess themed room. How cliché. How Angelica. "Glad to see you two here." She was laying on her bed, doing some of her homework. "Since I have nothing to do tonight, I thought that hanging out with some sophomore losers will suit me."

I rolled my eyes and looked at Tommy. "Do you want to hang out in the kitchen?"

"Definitely."

"WAIT!" Angelica shouted.

"RUN!" I yelled, and pushed Tommy out of the door and towards the stairs, where we rushed down into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Is she coming?" I asked between laughs.

"No." Tommy said, a laugh escaping his lips as well.

We both sat down at the table, giving each other about ten minutes to calm down. When we were, I decided to approach a serious issue… for me, at least. "So, what're you going to do about this confidential crush?"

He let out a long sigh. "Oh! Kimi! I don't want to talk about it."

"The least you could do is tell me who she is."

"I can't!" He exclaimed. "I mean… it sucks, you know? Haven't you ever liked a guy who didn't return your feelings? I mean, did you really feel like discussing it?"

Funny how the guy who didn't return my feelings was telling me this. "Uh, yeah, it does suck. And I totally understand why you don't want to talk about it now. The guy I like is in love with this other chick, and I don't stand a chance against her. She's… everything compared to me, apparently."

"Don't say that, Kimi. You're incredible. When the right guy comes around and sweeps you off of your feet, you're going to forget all about that other jerk." He told me, smiling reassuringly at me. "Do I happen to know this guy that you like—or liked?"

I smiled back. "Yes, you know the guy I _still_ like."

He was quiet for a second and asked, "You can tell me who it is."

"Then you can tell me who it is."

He laughed. "Yeah, so I guess we'll keep it confidential."

I bit my lip and looked down at the table. "I guess we will."

Angelica's POV

You know, it's really hard being me. I mean, so many girls hate me because they want to be me. Which makes sense. Guys are practically bowing at my feet because A) I'm popular, B) I'm pretty, and C) I'm me. I can't help that I'm all of the above. And I wish that those females could learn to appreciate me.

I also wish that guys could learn to appreciate me as well. I wanted to find a guy who wants to be supportive and not just want to get into my pants (though they're very nice designer pants, I don't want him there quite yet). I just want a guy who would still love me in a pair of sweats, a tank, and my face make-up free. All of the guys who I've been with don't want that, though. They only want sex.

Sex, sex, sex.

And I'm not ready for it… again. The last time I had it, I was so depressed. I hated myself for such a long time, but I got over it and learned to love myself once again.

I just wish that a guy could love me that way.

I sighed as I parked into my usual parking place near the entrance of the school. I hopped out of my car, pulling my designer sunglasses over my wide blue eyes. Then I began to head towards the entrance…

Only to trip over a soda can in the middle of the street.

As I plummeted towards the ground, I heard fast footsteps coming my way. Probably a bunch of haters coming to laugh at me after my face hit the concrete.

But my face never met the ground. Two arms wrapped around my torso and caught me before I fell. "Angelica!" The voice exclaimed.

He helped me up to my feet, but I never bothered to look at who it was, since I was so concerned about my outfit. I had to make sure that it was okay. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh! Yeah, sure. I'm great!" His voice was nice. Sounded like the guy had allergies or something, but he still sounded sexy somehow. That's why I put a sensual smile on my lips and smiled. "Thanks for being my knight in shining armor. I don't know what I—" Before I could finish my sentence, my eyes met with…

"Finster?" I squeaked.

He grinned. "Almost hurt yourself, there, Angelica. Are you okay?"

I cringed inwardly. "Yeah! Great. See you around." Then I dashed into the school. I cannot _believe _that I actually thought that his, Chuckie Finster's, voice sounded sexy.

I _definitely _have to get my head examined.

**A/N: So that's my first chapter! Please Read and Review and tell me what you think because I'm really nervous about posting this. So again, Read and Review and tell me your honest opinion… but if it's mean, say it nicely! Much love!**


	2. Caught Up

**Chapter 2: Caught Up**

Chuckie's POV

"Hey baby!" Lil shouted as I made my way through the crowded courtyard to the table I usually sat at with my friends. I rolled my eyes, hoping she couldn't see me doing so. Lil still didn't know that the strong feelings that I felt for her just last year were ebbing away. She continued to think that I was in love with her, and honestly… I just wasn't!

I was in… in _like_ with Angelica Pickles.

"Hey…" I spoke, sitting beside her.

She pecked my cheek and spoke, "Did you hear about the party next weekend? The one Teresa's throwing. It's going to be totally awesome. You want to go?"

_Not with you_. "Sure, Lil." I said.

She pouted her lips and asked, "What's wrong, Charles? Is it me?"

Instantly, I felt guilty. Though my romantic feelings for her were beginning to fade away, I was still in a relationship with her. And so long as I was in a relationship, I had to be a good boyfriend. "No, no Lil. You're doing absolutely nothing wrong. I'm just having a rough day. I'm sorry."

She took my hand. "It'll be okay, alright?"

"Thanks."

"Hear ye all sophomore losers!" an extremely familiar voice spoke behind us. I froze, and jerked my hand from Lil's as I heard Angelica come up from behind me. She surprisingly rested her hand on my shoulder and said, "Finster, I want to say that I'm sorry for running off so quickly after you saved me. I was just… embarrassed, I guess you could say. But thanks."

A wide smile appeared on my face as I remembered holding her in my arms, if only for a moment. "No problem, Angelica. Your outfit looks nice. I wouldn't want you to ruin it."

She cheesed as she turned in her short skirt and top. "Really? You think I look nice? I didn't want to risk wearing a white halter because I get them so dirty so easily. But I was like, 'What the hell?' and tried it out. And I didn't get it dirty, thanks to you."

I couldn't believe that she was actually having a conversation with me. "Well, I'm glad I could help." Was… was I being… _smooth_?

She smiled at me for a moment before turning her attention to Tommy and Kimi. "Oh yeah. Thanks for recording the meeting last night. My 'rents wanted me to give you this." She handed over an envelope to Tommy and walked away, saying a quick, "Bye Chuckie" to me.

I felt like I was in heaven. I was trapped in a world that was everything of Angelica Pickles. And I loved it!

Or I loved it until someone smacked me on the arm. I turned my head around and stared at Lil. "What?" I snapped.

"Why are you staring at her ass, Charles?"

My eyes widened. "I wasn't staring at her ass, Lillian."

"Then what were you staring at?_ The unique design of her skirt_? Is that it? Because you sure liked complimenting her a second ago. Are you admiring her outfit again or something? Gosh, Chuckie! You couldn't even admire the outfit that _I'm_ wearing. How could you compliment another girl without complimenting me first?"

I turned to my friends for some help but they all shrugged their shoulders and looked the other way. Even Phil, who usually came to his sister's defense. "Come here, Lil." I spoke softly, taking her hand and directing her to a more private area.

"What?" She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest as if to put up a barrier between her and me.

Letting out a sigh, I spoke, "You _know_ that the only girl I care about is you. You _know_ that I don't care about Angelica. And you _know_ that the only reason I complimented her was to be polite. Lil, you look amazing everyday. And now I know that I should compliment you everyday. But… getting jealous of me having a thing for Angelica? The girl who tormented us for so many years? Are you serious?"

She let her arms and head hang as I continued, "Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought that maybe you'd have a little more confidence in me as your boyfriend to put you before anyone. Do you not?"

"Of course I do, baby. I just… when I saw you staring after her—"

"I wasn't staring after her."

"I know that now. So I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around my neck. When she did that, I knew I was in the clear. _Man, _I thought, _that was too close. I even managed to make it look like she was the guilty one. If she had found out that I actually _do_ like Angelica, then it would've been over… but isn't that what I want?_

I didn't have time to think about that answer, because she started planting small butterfly kisses down my cheekbone. And as she did it, all I could think about was one thing—one person: Angelica Pickles.

Tommy's POV

When Chuckie and Lil had left the table, I sat there quietly. "Was… was he staring at my cousin's ass?"

"I don't know. I was kind of wondering myself." Phil continued.

"What's in the envelope?" Kimi asked, quickly changing the subject.

I opened it and looked inside, seeing what it was. "Oh, cool… I guess. Two tickets to see _Hollowman_, that romantic comedy that I totally don't want to see."

Kimi took one of them and raised a brow. "Are they serious? A romantic comedy?"

"For tonight." I sighed and slouched in my seat.

"Do you want to go? Throw popcorn at the screen and laugh at the stupidity of it all?" Kimi suggested, shrugging one of her shoulders.

I contemplated this. There was no chance of me meeting up with Susie. She told me that she had a date with Derek. So I definitely had nothing to do tonight. "Sure. But if you start to cry or something, Kimi—"

"Yeah right. Like I could conjure up the tears to cry over something so dumb." She grumbled.

I laughed and said, "Well, I guess we're going to the movies tonight."

Later that night, Kimi and I arrived at the movie theatre. I was dressed in a button-down shirt with khakis while Kimi was dressed in black cargos, a green and black _Von Dutch_ shirt, and green and black checkered _Vans_. She looked really nice.

"So you ready to see this lame movie?" She asked once we were in the movie theatre.

"You can answer that one for yourself." I said. "At least I have something to do tonight."

"Very true." She glanced around until her eyes froze on someone. That's when a smile came upon her face. "Tommy, look over there. It's Susie and Derek."

My eyes snapped over to the pair quickly. She was right. Susie and Derek were cuddled in the chick flick, seemingly the happiest couple ever. And I was sitting on the sidelines, watching it. "Gosh." I whispered to myself.

"Let's go say hey." Kimi suggested, already walking over.

I followed her lead, my face down with a sigh. "Hey Susie! Hey Derek! Weird running into you guys here." Kimi said. "I thought you guys were going to some fancy restaurant or something."

"It was so uptight. They said that since we're in jeans that they couldn't let us into the restaurant. So we were like forget it and came over to this movie. I heard it was so romantic and funny." She looked back and forth between us and smiled. "Wait a second… what're _you_ two doing here? Is this a date or something?"

"No, no, no." I answered now. "You know that filming project we worked on? Well, my aunt gave us tickets to this movie as a thank you. Neither of us had anything to do so we came."

"Even though the guy at the front desk won't let us switch tickets to another show." Kimi said. "This movie is going to be totally lame."

"It shouldn't be too bad." Derek commented, rubbing his nose in Susie's neck.

Disgusted, I cleared my throat and said, "Well enjoy the movie. Let's go sit down, Kimi."

"Why don't you guys sit over here?" Susie suggested.

I shook my head. "We don't want to cramp your space. We'll stay over there. Enjoy the movie, you two." I grabbed Kimi's hand and pulled her back over to our seat just as the previews for the movie began.

"Why didn't you want to sit over there?" She asked.

I sighed, pulling my hand out of hers so I could take a sip of my Sprite. "You know how couples get in movies. They start making out and stuff, and maybe if they were around us, they'd feel uncomfortable, you know?"

"Oh… that makes sense." She suddenly smiled and asked, "Get your popcorn ready. We're totally trashing this movie."

I let a smile come onto my face too. "If we must, we must."

But as the movie came on, it turned out to be the exact opposite of what we expected. It _was_ funny. And the romantic parts even made Kimi tear up, which is a feat that takes a lot of work.

When it ended, most all of the theatre began clapping for the happy ending, even Kimi and I joining in. As the movie theatre emptied out, I couldn't help but laugh at Kimi wiping her eyes. "I cannot believe you cried, Kimi." I teased her.

"Shut up!" She said, shoving my shoulder, which made me laugh even more. "Is my makeup running?"

I looked at her face before nodding my head. "Just a little bit."

She groaned and ran over to Susie. "Come to the bathroom with me." She told her, and before Susie could react, yanked her away.

Derek came over to me and asked, "So was that movie anything compared to some of the films that you do?"

I decided not to roll my eyes and be rude. Kill 'em with kindness. "I can't even compare my work with this since it's a completely different genre. Documentaries are my field, even though I plan to get into scary, suspense, and maybe even sci-fi later in my career."

"Who's your favorite director? I personally like Stephen Spielberg."

"Yeah, he's one of my favorites, too. But my all-time favorite is M. Night Shyamalan. His work is incredible. The twist at the end of all his movies gets better and better with each of his movies."

"Yeah, that guy is a genius."

I raised a brow. "You're into filmmaking?"

"I'm into screenplays. I love writing." He sat on the armrest and sighed. "Just because I'm good at sports, most people don't think I have any other talents, but writing is my calling. I'd give football up so I could write any day. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. If you look at some of my screenplays, maybe we could make a movie or something. Send it off somewhere and make some serious money. We could be successful!"

Why did he have to be nice? And have morals? And have life goals? If this dude was a jackass who thought that he was going to get by in life because of football, I could easily hate him. But now I knew I couldn't because he was pretty decent. "Yeah, um, bring it to school tomorrow. I'd like to see what you've written."

"You're a good man, Tommy. Hey, why don't you and Kimi come with me and Susie to Teresa's party? Since you two aren't dating, I know a couple of girls who have had their eye on you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you sure they're talking about me?"

He stared at me like a moron before a wide grin spread across his face. "Tommy, you're not aware of the female attention you get? You don't see the girls around you who'd like to get with you?" He punched my shoulder and said, "Some of the senior girls are saying that if you were a junior, they'd get with you."

_Too bad I want to get with your girlfriend_. "Really? Like… can you give me names? Because names are always good."

Derek laughed and was about to continue until Susie and Kimi came back. "Hope you boys enjoyed talking. Sorry we took so long." Susie said, looping her arm through Derek's.

Then I remembered that Derek was my archenemy and that though he was nice, he still had the girl I wanted… though now I realized that I had more than one option. "No, it wasn't a big deal. Tommy and I have a lot in common. Tomorrow, I'm going to bring one of my screenplays to him so we can possibly film it."

"Really? That's great!" Susie exclaimed, beaming at me brightly. "You guys would be a great team."

"Perhaps." I looked around the empty place and sighed. "I guess we should leave, huh?"

"Yeah. Do you guys need a ride home?"

"No, we can walk." Kimi said. "Thanks, though."

"Okay. Night guys." The two of them walked out of the theatre, leaving Kimi and I standing there.

I turned to look at her, forgetting about Susie for a second to notice her. If Kimi and I ever were to get together, it wouldn't be so bad at all. Kimi was one of the cutest girls at school. Trust me, I've heard locker room talk and boys wouldn't mind getting with her… alone… preferably in a bedroom.

She definitely was gorgeous. She had a total dark beauty that I wouldn't mind getting to know better.

But she was one of my best friends… and I had a crush on _her_ best friend… and her brother was my _other_ best friend. Too complicated. "You ready to go?" I finally asked.

"Yeah, sure."

We headed out of the movie theatre and started heading down the street. "You want to grab a smoothie before we head home?"

"Sounds good."

When we were inside Juice Shack, we ordered our smoothies—Kimi got a strawberry banana smoothie while I got a blueberry kiwi—and sat down. "Did I tell you that you look nice tonight?"

She glanced down at herself and narrowed her eyes. "I always wear this kind of stuff. This is really quite casual if you ask me."

"But it looks nice. It's creative. It makes your beauty more apparent than it already is." Then I flashed her a charming grin that I hoped would… well, charm her.

"Tommy… can I ask you why you're flirting with me?"

The smile on my face faded and I blushed. "I—I don't know… practice?"

"Why so suddenly do you want to practice on me?"

I leaned forward and answered. "I guess that Derek dude thought that he and I should have a 'heart-to-heart' so he was telling me stuff and we were talking. But he _did_ tell me that a lot of girls had a thing for me. Well, a lot of girls excluding you… and Lil… and Susie."

"So you're practicing flirting with girls on me to get some?"

"Well, the girl I like obviously isn't interested in me. So why not try to get another girl to like me?"

"Okay, first of all, that cheesy line, 'It makes your beauty more apparent' or whatever? Totally not cool. Just be honest. Be straight forward with the person. It works way better than you using pickup lines like, 'Yo baby. Where are your wings? 'Cause I know an angel when I see one'. That kind of stuff is so lame that I'd turn into a lesbian before I hooked up with a guy who used lines like that."

"You'd turn into a lesbian?" I asked.

"Only if every guy on the face of this earth were to use corny pick-up lines on me like that. Luckily, only twenty men have done so."

"Are you serious or just joking?"

"I'm serious. Twenty guys have hit on me and some of my friends with lines like that. And they're a total turn off. Maybe some girl like Angelica would be flattered, but the independent women in the world want real men, and real men act like themselves, which you should do."

"But if I'm around a girl I like and I'm trying to flirt, I get all nervous and clammy and I don't know what to do or say and being myself is out of the question."

She crossed her leg over the other and straightened up. "Well then… practice on me. I don't mind."

"Serious?" I asked.

"Yeah. Come on." She stood up and grabbed her smoothie while heading towards the door. I followed her outside to see that she was halfway down the sidewalk.

"What're you doing?" I called after her.

"Approach me and start flirting. Make sure you're yourself."

I sighed and walked over to her, deciding that being serious was out of the question. "Hey baby. I saw you down the street and knew that you must be a Siren because I heard you calling my name."

She looked over at me and let a laugh out of her lips. "Are you _serious_? Did you _seriously just say that_?"

I grinned and put my arm around her shoulder. "Does it mean that you're a lesbian now?"

She laughed again, knocking my arm off of her shoulder. "Definitely not. Now be serious, Tommy."

"I can't! Kimi, you're the best girl friend I have… but not in the sense that we're together. You know… my best female friend. And flirting with you is hard because there's no possible way to be nervous around a friend." Again I put my arm around her shoulder. "Now I'll walk you home. No buts."

"Fine. I was just trying to help you out."

"Thank you. Whenever I need help, I can always go to the Finster siblings now."

"Didn't that just work out well? Chuckie and I are related, you're both of our best friends. Dude, you could totally be using one of us to get to the other. And we would never know."

I leaned in her ear and whispered, "Your assumption's correct! But which one of you am I using?"

"You're totally using me to get to Chuckie. I already know." She joked.

As we came to her front porch, I said, "Or maybe I'm using Chuckie so I can get to you."

She let out a deep breath and said, "Tommy, stop practicing. I'm—"

"I'm not practicing. Like you said, I'm being myself." Before she had time to say anything, I continued with, "I had a really good time tonight. The movie wasn't cheesy, I got to see you cry, I learned how to flirt, and I got to spend time with you."

We both stood looking at each other until I said, "So what would you say if I leaned down and kissed you because I'm totally caught up in this moment with you? Would you let me?"

"I'd only let you because I'm really caught up in this moment, too."

Then I leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips, pulling away only for a second to observe her expression. Eyes closed, lips pursed and ready for more, which I gave willingly. She slightly opened her mouth, granting me entrance. I explored her entire mouth, bringing my hands to both sides of her face to hold it gently.

"What the hell are you doing to my sister?" Chuckie's voice rang, bringing us both back to reality.

We pulled away from each other and snapped our heads to him. "Chuckie, what're you doing still up?" Kimi asked while wiping her pouty lips with the back of her hand.

"Obviously seeing my best friend make out with my sister!" He turned on me and snapped. "You don't even _like_ Kimi! You like Susie! So why are you making out with her?"

I couldn't believe that he just said that out loud. "W—why would you say that in front of her? That was confidential, Chuckie! You're not supposed to say my business around other people!"

"I don't care right now."

"You like Susie?" Kimi asked, turning to me now. "Is that the girl?"

"Yeah, but when I got to talking to Derek, I realized that I had other options, which is why we started flirting, which is why we got caught up in this moment," I turned back to Chuckie, "which is all that kiss was: a moment. Don't blow it out of proportion."

Chuckie stared at us before slamming the door in disgust. I turned back to Kimi as she gripped her head and said, "We shouldn't have kissed, Tommy. We _really_ shouldn't have kissed. Especially since—"

"We _should've_ kissed each other. What's wrong with letting our feelings take over in a moment?" I asked, touching the side of her cheek. "I don't care what you say, Kimi. I don't regret it happened."

"Well… our friendship is going to be weird now."

"If we keep talking about it then it will."

She smiled and stood on her toes to give me one last sweet kiss. "Okay. Cool. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, don't cry when you think about the movie."

She punched my shoulder while I laughed, her joining in a second later. "Well, see you later, Kimi."

"Alright. Bye Tommy." She opened her door and walked inside while I headed down the cobblestone to the house across the street.

When I entered my house, I went straight to the kitchen, where my mother, father, and brother were all sitting, playing a game. "Tommy! Hi honey! How as the movie?"

"It was great." I answered, jumping onto the counter. "I thought that _Hollowman_ would be cheesy and an unnecessary film, but it actually was good. It had a bunch of people in the theatre crying."

"I'm glad." She looked over at me only to do a double-take. "Tommy… are you wearing lip gloss or lipstick or something?"

I touched my lips and quickly wiped them off. "N—no! I had a smoothie and it probably just stained my lips."

"No, that's lipstick." My dad said. "And I only know that because after your mom and I kiss, the residue comes off on my… lips… have you been kissing a girl, Tommy?"

I jumped off of the counter and inhaled a deep breath. "Well! I think it's time for me to hit the old sack! Good night, love you, and see you in the morning."

"Not so fast, champ." Dad called. "Are you and Kimi are dating?"

"No, dad. We're just friends."

"And you kissed?"

"Well… yeah. I mean, it was one of those things where you get caught up in the moment and just let yourself do what you feel, you know? So don't think that anything's going to come of it."

"You know, in Lipchitz teen encyclopedias, he says that when your teen says that they're acting in the moment, it usually means that they're letting some of their suppressed feelings out. So that kiss may represent more than you're making of it."

"Whatever. I have a big day at school tomorrow." And I ignored what my mother said. When has Lipchitz ever been right?

Kimi's POV

I came into the house, a huge smile on my face. I skipped up the stairs, humming all the while, and went into my room, where Chuckie was sitting on my bed. "Chuckie… what're you doing in here?" But I wasn't mad like I'd usually be. I just kept on smiling.

"Why would you kiss Tommy?"

I sat down beside him and lay on my back. "I'll put his words in my own: I let the moment sweep me off of my feet and ran with it. Like he said, we were talking about flirting, then we started flirting, and then we just kissed."

"That was too much to be deemed a kiss. That was a hardcore make-out session." He said. "It took Lil and me about two months before we went that far. It took you and Tommy one _date_."

"See, you're wrong. It wasn't even a date. It was just two friends hanging out."

"That makes it even worst!" He screamed.

"Why do you care so much?" I shouted back.

"Because Tommy doesn't even like you that way!"

"I DON'T LIKE HIM THAT WAY EITHER!"

"Yeah right, Kimi! I see the way you look at him!"

"WHY DON'T YOU STAY OUT OF MY LIFE?"

"WHEN YOU GET ONE, YOU LET ME KNOW!"

"Kids, kids, what're you all yelling about?" My dad asked as he came into the room. "Why are you screaming at each other?"

"Because Charles won't stay out of my business!"

"Well tell your daughter not to go making out with guys who aren't her boyfriend!"

"Dad, I just made out with Tommy."

"You made out with Tommy?" Dad asked. "Do… do you date Tommy?"

"No, we don't and we don't plan to."

"Tommy's a nice boy. You two would make a decent couple."

"Dad! That's not the point!" Chuckie screamed. "They made out!"

"Why is that such a big deal?" Dad asked.

I turned to him smugly and looked at him for a reaction. Why _did_ he care so much? It was like he was jealous or something. "I care because… because Tommy's _my _best friend and if you two start dating then you'd be taking my best friend away from me and he'd be taking my sister."

I was quiet for a long second, actually glad that he was being honest.

"W—well, that's not going to happen. We're both of his friends. And just because we kissed doesn't mean anything."

"I hope not. Because he still likes Susie."

"He likes Susie?" Dad asked.

"Has for the longest time." Chuckie said then turned back to me. "I don't want you getting all of your hopes up and expect him to commit to you. He really likes Susie and I doubt it takes one night of revelation to get over a girl or whatever."

I considered his words and knew he was right. I also knew that Tommy would probably try flirting with other girls because he knew that if he could get his "best friend" to make out with him, then he could get another girl.

Which meant that I couldn't look like a lost puppy. I had to pick a guy to flirt with, and who better than the one guy who obviously had a crush on me. He was definitely cute, and I definitely wouldn't mind talking to him on that level.

So… if I saw Tommy flirting, then the game was on.


End file.
